Publication Ethics & Malpractice

The International Journal of Agricultural Research, Innovation and Technology (IJARIT) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and scientific integrity. IJARIT adheres strictly to the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 

All parties involved in the publishing process—authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to agree to and observe these ethical standards.

1. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

Originality & Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Plagiarism in any form (including self-plagiarism, verbatim copying, or inadequate attribution) is unacceptable. All manuscripts undergo plagiarism screening using automated detection tools (e.g., Turnitin/iThenticate) prior to peer review. The editorial office of the International Journal of Agricultural Research, Innovation and Technology (IJARIT) performs a preliminary plagiarism check through plagiarism checker software on each manuscript when it is submitted. The author should aim for zero plagiarism when it is an original paper. However, up to 15% similarity is allowed in many indexed journals. Therefore, IJARIT is allowed to keep the plagiarism level below 15%.

Data Integrity & Falsification: Authors must present accurate data and results, and provide an objective discussion of the research. Fabrication, manipulation, or intentional misrepresentation of data or images constitutes serious scientific misconduct.

Multiple or Simultaneous Submissions: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is unethical and unacceptable. Manuscripts previously published elsewhere cannot be considered.

Authorship Criteria & Order: Authorship must be limited to those who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the concept, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.

Use of Generative AI Tools: Artificial Intelligence tools (such as LLMs or ChatGPT) cannot be listed as authors. Authors using AI tools for writing, data processing, or image generation must explicitly disclose their usage in the methodology or acknowledgments section.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research findings or manuscript interpretation.

Research Involving Animals or Humans: Studies involving human participants, field trials, or live vertebrate animals must include an explicit statement confirming compliance with institutional and international ethics guidelines, along with proof of Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Animal Ethics Committee approval.

Article Withdrawal Policy: Manuscripts may be withdrawn within 7 days of submission. Once a manuscript is published, it cannot be taken back. Articles will only be taken down, retracted, or removed if there are any legal disputes or copyright violations that go against professional ethics, like multiple submissions, false claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, or similar things.

2. Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

Publication Decisions & Impartiality: The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board evaluate submitted manuscripts solely on their scientific merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the author’s race, gender, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all submitted manuscripts and must not disclose any details to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and potential reviewers.

Conflicts of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from processing manuscripts in which they have a competing financial, personal, or collaborative interest with any of the authors or institutions involved.

Handling Ethical Allegations: Editors will act promptly when ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct arise regarding a submitted or published paper, following the standard COPE Flowcharts.

3. Duties and Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer reviewers assist the Editorial Board in making editorial decisions and help authors improve their papers through constructive, objective reviews.

Promptness & Timeliness: Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to evaluate a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should immediately notify the editor and decline the invitation.

Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shown to or discussed with others without authorization from the editor.

Objectivity & Standards: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments and evidence.

Disclosure & Conflicts of Interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors.

4. Post-Publication Policy: Corrections, Retractions, and Allegations

Errors in Published Works: When an author or third party discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the editor and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.

Corrections (Errata / Corrigenda): Minor errors or omissions that do not invalidate the scientific conclusions of the paper will be addressed through a formal Correction Notice published in the next available issue.

Retractions: Articles will be retracted if there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable (due to misconduct or honest error), or if the work constitutes plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical research. Retraction notices will be linked directly to the original article and state the reasons for retraction.

Whistleblower Complaints & Allegations: Complaints regarding authorship disputes, plagiarism, or data falsification will be investigated by the Editorial Board in accordance with COPE procedures. All parties involved will be given an opportunity to respond.